Shoe cleaning device



F. B. WILLIAMS SHOE CLEANING DEVICE Filed March 5, 1938 March 21, 1939.

Patented Mar. 21, 1939 7' i g UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE CLEANING DEVICE Frank B. Williams, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 5, 1938, Serial No. 194,042

2 1 Claim. (Cl. 15265) This invention relates to an improved device shoe rest extended substantially horizontally but adapted for convenient shoe cleaning, and for may be cut at an angle of slightly less than 90 the holding of a brush or polisher, by providing so that when the shoe rest is unfolded it may rest a compact and foldable rest for the foot while at an angle slightly lower than horizontal. The cleaning a shoe and a pocket for the brush. forward edges 20 of the flanges l8 are prefer- 5 It has been found highly desirable to provide ably cut at an appreciable angle extending in a firmly mounted and convenient shoe rest dea direction from the outer edge of the shoe rest vice whereby shoes may be brushed, cleaned or toward the base so as to permit the easy withtouched up in the home or hotel room or such drawal of a shoe polisher or brush retained beother P at a point W re t W ll be readi y tween the flanges l8 as will be hereinafter de- 10 available, not take up much space, be of colscribed. lapsible construction, be adapted to receive and The flanges l8 are provided with the longiposition the polishing instrument such as a tudinal inwardly extending depressions 2|, and brush Where it can be readily retained and at all as the entire shoe rest channel member is formed times conveniently preserved and ready for use, of a stamping of sheet metal, these side flanges l5 and at the same time be ever present in a fixed are somewhat expansible or yieldable. The chanposition, so that the operation will always be nel with the aid of its flanges and the longicarried out at the same predetermined place. audinal depressions thereof is adapted to receive Other objects relate to economy, novelty of and nest a shoe polisher or brush, the back or construction, and detailed arrangement of parts holder portion of which substantially conforms 20 as will be apparent from consideration of the to the width between the flanges. For example, drawing and the following Sp fi ati Wher the shoe polisher 22 having the hand-gripping in indentations 23 extending along the side edges of Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my improved dethe back holder portion may be inserted between 25 vice folded up horizontally and out of use, and the flanges IS with the bristles or soft polishing 25 Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof at its unfolded surface 24 extending inwardly adjacent the web and operative position. 15, so that the longitudinal depressions 2| set Fig. 3 is a transverse section at the line 3-3 into the hand grip depressions 23 and thereby of Fig. 2. slidably receive the shoe polisher or brush and Fig. 4 is a plan view of my device in its unretain it. It will also be readily seen that the 30 folded operative position. depressions 2| can also act as gripping members Referring to the drawing l0 indicates a base and can also receive a shoe polisher or brush adapted for affixing the device in a vertical posiwhich does not necessarily have a hand gripping tion to a suitable mounting support such as a portion, and that the depressions on the flanges door or the wall II, by means of a series of screws may be replaced by bowed strip springs or the I2 which pass through the base. This base may like. be stamped from a single piece of metal so as In order to limit the movement of the shoe to comprise the arms [3 which extend integrally polisher or brush between the flanges of the shoe therefrom and perpendicularly thereto in spacedrest or to prevent its dropping therefrom when apart relation. The shoe rest generally desigthe device has been folded to its horizontal posi- 40 nated as M is formed of a substantially channel tion, suitable fingers or indentations 25 may be shaped stamping, the web portion l5 thereof, provided on the flanges adjacent their ends l9. comprising the shoe rest and which preferably In order to hold the device locked in its inoperis formed with an irregular tractive surface which ative horizontal position suitable clamping or may be suitably formed by the studs l6 extendengaging means may be provided to hold the shoe 45 ing thereover or on limited portions thereof as rest channel l4 locked between the arms l3. desired. This may be accomplished by means of comple- The width of the channel portion of the shoe mentary projections and recessions such as prorest is such that it fits snugly in between the jections 26 extending inwardly of the arms I3 5 arms I3, and is pivoted thereto by means of the and the recessions or perforations 2! on the 5 pivot H which passes through the arms at a flanges adjacent their ends E9, or vice versa.

point preferably adjacent the base member ID As hereinbefore set forth, due to the slight and through the downwardly extending flanges resilience of the stampings which form the com- -I8 of the shoe rest member. The ends l9 of the ponent parts of this device, the shoe rest may be flanges l8 abut against the base H) to hold the raised from its extended position shown in Fig. 2 55 to the inoperative position shown in Fig. 1 by lifting the shoe rest and pressing it towards the attaching base so as to cause the projections 26 to snap into the depressions 21. To extend the device to its operative position a slight downward urging of the shoe rest channel will be sufficient to disengage it from the cooperative snapping portions 26 and 21. It will thus be seen that as soon as the elements are unlocked from their snaps the shoe rest immediately turns about its pivots and drops by gravity to its extended and operative position where it remains firmly by reason of the abutting action of the ends l9 against the base I0 where it rests and is firmly supported in a fixed position. To close the device it is merely necessary to raise the channel either by the hand or by the foot to its horizontal position where it will be snapped and held until further use.

Although I have in the foregoing set forth the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that various changes in the details thereof maybe made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I therefore do not wish to be restricted thereto except as so limited by the appended claim.

I claim as my invention:

An article of the class described, comprising a greater length than said base, the outer web face thereof being formed with a tractive surface, the flanges thereof extending downwardly and being formed with a longitudinal inwardly extending depression terminating at one edge in inwardly struck stop fingers and adapted to slidably receive and hold nested a shoe polisher formed,

with complementary slots along the sides of the back handle portion thereof, the said arms and flange ends adjacent thereto being formed with a means to lock the shoe rest in vertical inoperative position, the flange edges being arranged and adapted to co-act with the base to maintain the upper surface of the shoe rest at an angle to the horizontal, the flange faces adjacent the outer end of said foot rest being partially cut away in tapering relationship to the forward edge thereof to expose a portion of the shoe polisher back to adapt it to be readily withdrawn from nested position.

FRANK B. WILLIAMS. 

